In recent years, mobile communication services have expanded and increased in popularity around the world. Many advanced networks offer wireless mobile communication service for voice calls, mobile messaging services (e.g., text and/or multimedia) and data communications. The data services, for example, enable surfing the world wide web, e.g., via a browser. The speeds of the data communications services have steadily increased as service providers have migrated the networks to newer generation technologies with broadband data communication capabilities, and the mobile stations have steadily advanced to take advantage of the new network technologies. The data communication capabilities of the mobile stations and the broadband data communication services offered by the networks enable users to perform more and more tasks from their mobile stations.
Shopping has also evolved with the evolution to telecommunications technologies. On-line shopping is now commonplace, and increasingly, users can do their on-line shopping using their mobile stations. Although on-line shopping can be for traditional goods or services, on-line shopping from a mobile station is often related to shopping for content for downloading to the mobile station. Examples of mobile station content items include, without limitation, media, games, messaging, social networks, stores, and any other applications or information for use on or with a mobile station.
Mobile application stores traditionally provide the following options to allow a user to discover applications: 1) search by keywords, 2) browse categories such as Games, Business, Lifestyle, Shopping, Travel & Local, etc., or sub-categories such as Top Paid, Top Free, recent arrival, 3) recommendations, based on (a) the store's pick, (b) the user's download history, or (c) Context Relevance. Applications are then listed based on the number of downloads.
When traveling, relocating, or otherwise exploring an unfamiliar location, relevant mobile station content may be difficult to find. At least some content may be of particular interest to the local community, with minimal popularity outside the area. For example, a parking spot finder in San Francisco, or a Chicago transit schedule would likely be known to and used by the local community and may be of interest to travelers visiting those cities. However, visitors may not know or think about the availability of such applications. Moreover, it may be difficult to ascertain quickly the mobile station content items that are of particular interest to those in the vicinity or anticipated vicinity of the user, and thus might also be of interest to the user.
Hence, a need exists for improved technologies for distributing recommendations, for example, which provide a user with an indication of mobile station content that is popular with nearby users of mobile stations.